Instructional Objectives:
Students should be able to:
1. Comprehend the basic properties of the Sun. (i.e. age, size, temp.)
2. Identify it as a star.
3. Apply all the factual information they find to make an outline.
Time and Activity:
Day One:
10 min - Explain the scenario that will guide work for the next two days. Aliens have contacted NASA
looking for help. The star which they live near is dying and the need to know where to go. They want
to know everything about our star, the Sun, so they can try and find a similar one to live near. They will
use the internet and books to find out facts about the Sun and put them all together for the Aliens.
40 min - They will have the rest of this period in the library to do research on the computers and in the
books at the library. I will hand out a worksheet with the facts they need to find and the questions they
need to answer. The handout will have all the websites they will need so they don't wander on the internet.
Day 2:
20 min - As a class we will go over the questions and discuss how much importance each one has.
This will give me the chance to connect the facts to important points we have already talked about and
to fill in any holes that may be there.
10 min - Spend a couple minutes on how to properly set-up an outline to write a synopsis or paper.
Picking out main ideas and details.
20 min - They will have this time to work on an outline. They won't need to write a paper but this
will be useful for the summative project they will be doing. If they don't finish the outline before the
of the period it will be finished for homework.
Assignment:
- All the students will be required to hand in an outline that could be used to write a paper. This basic
outline will be what NASA will use to write a formal document to the Aliens. The students will later use
this outline for their book they will be writing.
Materials:
- Teacher-made handout
- Computers with Internet Access
Unit: Astronomy
Topic: Sun's Properties
Instructional Objectives:
Students should be able to:
1. Comprehend the basic properties of the Sun. (i.e. age, size, temp.)
2. Identify it as a star.
3. Apply all the factual information they find to make an outline.
Time and Activity:
Day One:
10 min - Explain the scenario that will guide work for the next two days. Aliens have contacted NASA
looking for help. The star which they live near is dying and the need to know where to go. They want
to know everything about our star, the Sun, so they can try and find a similar one to live near. They will
use the internet and books to find out facts about the Sun and put them all together for the Aliens.
40 min - They will have the rest of this period in the library to do research on the computers and in the
books at the library. I will hand out a worksheet with the facts they need to find and the questions they
need to answer. The handout will have all the websites they will need so they don't wander on the internet.
Day 2:
20 min - As a class we will go over the questions and discuss how much importance each one has.
This will give me the chance to connect the facts to important points we have already talked about and
to fill in any holes that may be there.
10 min - Spend a couple minutes on how to properly set-up an outline to write a synopsis or paper.
Picking out main ideas and details.
20 min - They will have this time to work on an outline. They won't need to write a paper but this
will be useful for the summative project they will be doing. If they don't finish the outline before the
of the period it will be finished for homework.
Assignment:
- All the students will be required to hand in an outline that could be used to write a paper. This basic
outline will be what NASA will use to write a formal document to the Aliens. The students will later use
this outline for their book they will be writing.
Materials:
- Teacher-made handout
- Computers with Internet Access
Resources:
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceDiscoveringTheSunWebquest612.htm